WS Chronicle

For the second year in a row, the girls’ basketball team at Winston Salem Preparatory Academy will have a new head coach.  Calvin Davis will now lead the Lady Phoenix team onto the court next season in hopes of reclaiming greatness that the program once enjoyed.

Prep is coming off of a down season in which the girls did not win many games.  This is especially surprising after winning the 1-A state title two years in a row the previous two seasons. 

Davis knows the history of the Lady Phoenix program along with the high standard of play that is usually associated with Prep.  The Rocky Mount native has been around the game of basketball for several decades, most recently with the Winston-Salem Stealers AAU program. 

Davis is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and says he knows the high standard Prep’s girls’ team was known for.  He is excited to have the opportunity to return the team back to relevancy.

“I kept thinking it would be a good opportunity to transition here and rebuild the program,” Davis said when asked what peaked his interest in the job.  “It’s going to take time to get it back where it was.  We are going to start with defense and all I can ask is that they give their all on both ends of the court.”

Davis says he has a style of play that he would love to implement but will wait to see if the players on the team are able to do so.  If not, he will tailor a system that fits the team the best to maximize the collective skillsets.

“We have to see what we have first and we will figure it out from there,” he said.  “I like to play fast, I do, but if I don’t have a lot of speed then I can’t play fast.  I am a defensive-minded coach at heart so that comes first.”

Davis says he knows there is talent at Winston-Salem Prep and getting them out for tryouts will be the key.  He is anxious to see what he will be working with this season.

“I know we will have to work on some fundamentals and get the girls to bond with one another,” he continued.  “We are going to have to work hard and we will get started next week so when October comes we will be ready to go.”

As a first-year head coach, Davis is not shy about his high hopes for the season.  He thinks by building a solid foundation on the defensive end, it will allow them to progress in other areas throughout the year.

“I know we are going to play some good teams in and out of conference like Bishop McGuinness and Mt. Airy,” Davis said.  “We are going to try and at least finish in the top tier of the conference and hopefully make the playoffs.”

“I want the ladies to first excel in the classroom because it all starts there.  I also want them to play defense every night and once we see what we have, we should be able to form a good offense.  We are going to try and play pressure defense, and I expect us to do well this season.”

Davis credits last year’s interim coach Kent Phillips for the job he did, especially with the short time frame he had to prepare for the season.  He won’t base his team’s season success on strictly wins and losses.

“Making the playoffs will be a successful season because that’s just getting it back to where it was, he said.  “Making the playoffs is just the start of things.  Anything can happen.  I have to work hard and they have to work hard as well for things to work out the best for us.”